Not the 'Thrilla in Manila', But certainly 'Nasty in Nassau'

In the first presidential debate, Obama's grade level came in at 9.2. For a debate, with all its give-and-take, interruptions, pauses and the like, that was a rather high number. A town hall meeting is definitely not the place for the grandiloquent turn of phrase, especially when you are trying to woo the undecided citizens of the land with plain speakin' -- no matter how uncomfortable that might be.

We all told in sixth grade that a newspaper should be written at the sixth-grade level, which from the sixth-grade perspective can be quite a challenge. What this really translates to is short sentences, concise paragraphs, fewer polysyllabic words, and all written in active voice.

Both Romney and Obama cut their use of passive voice nearly in half from 6% to 4% and 3%, respectively. Active voice, where the subject is the doer of the action, is always preferred over passive voice in political discourse since it can be used to avoid responsibility. ('Taxes were raised' rather than 'I raise raised the taxes.)

Finally, Obama's reading ease score improved over 8% from 63.1 to 70.1; Romney's remained a bit higher at 71.0.

In champion fights, the unwritten rule is that you never take the current champ's crown away on -- points unless the victory is overwhelming. Last night the president showed up to fight, and thus is awarded the victory on points. So the presidential debate series now stands even at 0ne all, with the rubber (and deciding) match to take place next week.Payack is president of The Global Language Monitor in Austin, Texas.